MARCIA

In early 2014 the then Community Access Committee held a workshop to devise ways to engender a more inclusive and accepting community beyond simply improving physical access.

It was clear to the committee that this project must reach beyond local government responsibilities.

Out of this came an aspiration for our city to become the Most Accessible Regional City in Australia and so MARCIA was born.

Our Vision

Our vision is that Australian regional cities will build on the work they have already done to create Disability Access and Inclusion plans (DAIP) and similar strategies. Working with community, schools, business and government cities will join in a friendly rivalry to become the Most Accessible Regional City in Australia: MARCIA.

Draft Criteria

The 2014 workshop in Bunbury formulated six draft criteria for assessing the Most Accessible Regional City in Australia:

Local Government Organisations would be required to demonstrate whole-of-community involvement in the quest to become accessible above and beyond the internal work identified in their Disability Access and Inclusion Plans.

MARCIA PhD Research Project

In 2015 the City of Bunbury partnered with Edith Cowan University to create an industry scholarship for a PhD study into how the City could achieve its MARCIA aspiration.

The research adopted a ‘participatory action research modality’ recruiting 10 local community members to be co-researchers. The research group regularly interact and engage with staff, councillors, local business owners and community members, promoting and raising awareness amongst the organisation and the community.

The research is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2018 and will guide the City on how to achieve MARCIA.

The City of Bunbury in collaboration with the Regional Capitals Alliance of Western Australia (RCAWA), has been instrumental in the development of the Most Accessible Community in Western Australia (MACWA) awards.

The awards have been inspired by the City’s aspiration to become the Most Accessible Regional City in Australia (MARCIA).

MARCIA became part of the City’s vision in 2014 and since then a lot of work has gone into developing the MACWA awards.

The inaugural awards which will recognise the most accessible communities in the state will include three categories:

·Metro Council

·Regional City

·Regional Shire/Town

In order to be inclusive of all the new categories the City’s MARCIA acronym has had to undergo a change to MACWA.

The awards will be judged on four criteria: Infrastructure; Information, Communication and Technology; Services and Events; and Leadership.

Nominations are set to open 1 May and close on 1 July with the award being presented on 1 August during Local Government Week.